Frustration for Chippa after siege of Stellenbosch slips

Chippa United co-coach Thabo September was frustrated at the fact his side let slip the chance to win valuable away points at Stellenbosch on Friday.

Their DStv Premiership clash at the Danie Craven Stadium ended 1-1 after Chippa fought back from a halftime deficit. Their cause was aided by a red card for Stellenbosch defender Ismael Toure early in the second half, after which Chippa laid siege to the home goal.

While Craig Martin equalised in the 68th minute, Chippa were not able to keep up the sustained pressure and Stellenbosch, despite the one-man disadvantage, came closest in the end to snatching the three points.

“We're frustrated because the instruction was to open wide, to keep the width and then find moments to go through the middle through Eva (Bienvenu Eva Nga) and Elmo (Kambindu) but seemed like we kept on losing the ball. It’s something that we need to work on when you're playing with a one-man advantage,” said September.

“You need to rotate the ball quicker, but I think impatience from the guys and anxiousness cost us. There was an opportunity to get the three points out of the game once Stellenbosch got hit with the red card but we need our the mentality to be one of composure.”

September still felt it was a good game for Chippa, who remain in 12th spot in the DStv Premiership standings.

“I think in the first half, both teams were doing well in terms of the intensity of the game and chances created. Their goalkeeper (Oscarine Masuluke) made two saves from us. The first half was very, very competitive.

“I think after the red card in the second half, we lost a bit of structure and that is something that we need to work on,” added September.